Spiritual sustenance, naturally.

We should not be seeking the Garden, it is not lost. It is we who are lost. It is we who are alienated from the Garden of which we are a part, which is around us and within us now, and always has been.

Green Man

So says Billy, one of the many Green Men present at the Convention I am attending this weekend. I apologize that his photo, above, is not more clear; the light was low.

Brian Froud said that a first step in reconnecting with the spirit of nature is to acknowledge that it is possible. Before “taking things” from nature, we should seek permission. Communication, he said, is possible and necessary, and there are no “rules” about how to do it; it is individual and intuitive process.

At the end of the Green Man Panel, Brian was made an honorary member of the Blessed Order of the Greenman (BOG).

Blessed Order of the Greenman induction ceremony

Other members on the Green Man panel included Celtic scholar John Matthews, folklorist Steve Winick, artists Wendy and Brian Froud, and BOG founder Shane Odom.

So far (it’s not over yet) attending this event has been a colorful, inspiring, and thought-provoking experience. There have been many other workshops, gatherings, and events here. More posts will follow as time allows – it’s a busy time!

Comments on: "The Green Man Archetype" (3)

There’s a great chapter in Fox’s “Hidden Spirituality of Men” on “the Green Man.”
Also a great book by William Anderson/Clive hicks.

I like to ponder that the story of the exile from the Garden is a collective common memory for people who originated in the North Africa/Near/Middle East. Recent scientific and archaeological studies reveal that at least one point in the time of the human experience, the entire region was a lush jungle/garden, which over time simply dried up, leaving its inhabitants, over many generations, continuing today, wondering what happened? The common Judeo-Christian myth has been interpreted to mean that we were kicked out. I think this is an essential misconception that had led to our alienation from the Earth, and thank the Creator that the Green Person is still alive and well within us, waiting to be reborn…and thanks that people like Fox have brought this Good News to light.

On a more somber note, that an entire region could simply dry up and blow away may be a true myth worth pondering in the face of global warming.

Thank you, Carl, for your pondering. I’ll have a look for the resources you mention.
The inner “Green Person” immediately touches many people, male and female, when they see the images. Here is a relevant mask I have created. Scroll down at this link to see it.
Regarding climate change, there are places where the deserts are growing in our time. Very sobering indeed.
May the green “rebirth” you mention continue to grow and spread in our hearts and actions, panculturally!